Babur Babur was the first Mughal emperor.

He was born on 14 Feb 1483 in Andijan (present day Uzbekistan), the eldest son of Amir Umar Shaykh Mirza, the son of Ab Sa d Mirza (and grandson of Miran Shah, who was himself son of Timur) and his wife Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, daughter of Younus Khan, the ruler of Moghulistan (and great-great grandson of Abhavh Timur, the son of Esen Buqa II, who was the great-great-great grandson of Chaghatai Khan, the second born son of Genghis Khan). Babur was known for his love of beauty in addition to his military ability. Babur concentrated on gaining control of northwestern India. He was invited to India by Daulat Khan Lodi and Rana Sanga who wanted to end the Lodi dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 at the First battle of Panipat, a town north of Delhi. In 1527 he defeated Rana Sanga, the Rajput rulers and their allies at Khanwa. Babur then turned to the tasks of persuading his Central Asian followers to stay on in India and of overcoming other contenders for power, mainly the Rajputs and the Afghans. He succeeded in both tasks but died shortly thereafter on 25 December 1530 in Agra. He was later buried in Kabul. Humayun Baburs favorite son Humayun took the reins of the empire after his father succumbed to disease at the young age of forty-seven. Humayun lost control of his kingdom early on in his reign, but later with Persian aid, he would eventually regain an even larger one. Further information: Sher Shah Suri In 1539, seeking to expand his realm, the Pashtun general Sher Khan met Humayun at the battle of Chausa; a town situated between Varanasi and Patna. Humayun was defeated and barely escaped with his own life and in the following year, 1540, his army of 40,000 was defeated by Sher Khan's Afghan army of 15,000. A popular Pashtun general, Khulas Khan Marwat, was leading Sher Khan's Army. This was the first military venture of Khulas Khan Marwat and soon he would prove nightmarish for the Mughals. Akbar Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun whose rule was interrupted by the Afghan Sur Dynasty, which rebelled against him. It was only just before his death that Humayun was able to regain the empire and leave it to his son. In restoring and expanding Mughal rule, Akbar based his authority on the ability and loyalty of his followers, irrespective of their

religion. In 1564 the jizya tax on non-Muslims was abolished, and bans on temple building and Hindu pilgrimages were lifted. Akbar's methods of administration reinforced his power against two possible sources of challengethe Afghan-Turkish aristocracy and the traditional interpreters of Islamic law, the ulama. He created a ranked imperial service based on ability rather than birth, whose members were obliged to serve wherever required. They were remunerated with cash rather than land and were kept away from their inherited estates, thus centralizing the imperial power base and assuring its supremacy. The military and political functions of the imperial service were separate from those of revenue collection, which was supervised by the imperial treasury. This system of administration, known as the mansabdari, was based on loyal service and cash payments and was the backbone of the Mughal Empire; its effectiveness depended on personal loyalty to the emperor and his ability and willingness to choose, remunerate, and supervise. Jahangir Prince Salim (b. 1569 son of a Hindu Rajput princess from Amber), who would later be known as Emperor Jahangir showed signs of restlessness towards the end of the long reign of his father Akbar. During the absence of his father from Agra he pronounced himself king and turned rebellious. Akbar, however, was able to wrestle the throne back. Due to the early deaths of his two brothers, Murad and Daniyal from alcoholism, Salim had no reason to concern himself about his siblings' aspirations to the throne. Jahangir finally began his era as Mughal emperor after the death of Akbar in the year 1605. He considered his third son Prince Khurram (the future Shah Jahan, born 1592 to Hindu Rajput princess Manmati), his favourite. In 1615, a standoff between Prince Khurram and The Rana of Mewar resulted in a treaty acceptable to both parties. Khurram was also kept busy with several campaigns in Bengal and Kashmir. Jahangir claimed Khurram's victories of this period as his own. Shah Jahan: The Taj Mahal, named for Arjumand Banu, who was called Mumtaz Mahal, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The great Jama Masjid built by Shah Jahan was the largest in India at the time. He renamed Delhi after himself as Shahjahanabad. The Red Fort made of red sandstone built during his reign near Jama Masjid around the same time came to be regarded as the seat

of power of India itself. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the ramparts of this fort on Independence day even to this age.Shah Jahan also built or renovated forts in Delhi and in Agra. White marble chambers that served as living quarters and other halls for public audiences are examples of classic Mughal architecture. Here in Agra fort, Shah Jahan would spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his son, Aurangzeb shuffling between the hallways of the palace, squinting at the distant silhouette of his famous Taj Mahal on the banks of River Jamuna. Aurangzeb: Aurangzeb, who was given the title "Alamgir" or "world-seizer," by his father, is known for expanding the empire's frontiers and for his acceptance of Islam law. During his reign, the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent (the Bijapur and Golconda Sultanates which had been reduced to vassalage by Shah Jahan were formally annexed). In 1679, Aurangzeb enforced the jizyah tax on Non-Muslims like Zakt tax was enforced on Muslims. This action by the emperor, incited rebellion among Hindus and others in many parts of the empire notably the Jats, Sikhs, and Rajputs forces in the north and Maratha forces in the Deccan. The emperor managed to crush the rebellions in the north. Aurangzeb was compelled to move his headquarters to Aurangabad in the Deccan to mount a costly campaign against Maratha guerrilla fighters led by Shivaji and his successors, which lasted twenty-six years until he died in 1707 at the age of eighty-nine. Aurangzeb, as is his father before him, is remembered as a builder-emperor. The Badshahi Masjid (Imperial Mosque) in Lahore was constructed in 1673 on his orders. It was not only the largest mosque ever built by a Mughal emperor but was at that point the largest mosque in the world. He also constructed the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moti Masjid inside Delhi's Red Fort was also finalized by him. He is also known for his fanatic view of Islam, due to which he razed many Hindu Temples. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Kashi/Varanasi, Kesava Deo Templeof Mathura were some of the most famous temples he raze. He was of the view that royal treasury does not belong to king but common man. He did not use any of the royal treasury for him and his family. In fact, he used to write holy qur'an and earn money and his wife used to weave caps and copies of the holy quran to support his earnings.